An acquisition carries the promise of growth and change, and a fair amount of risk, for any company. As a buyer, you may be seeking to broaden your service offerings or geographic footprint, add a new technology, transform the company by expanding into a new healthcare segment, or become a bigger player in a consolidating market.

The prospect of change can be exciting and energizing. At the same time, the process — from shopping to deal integration — is complex and requires skillful planning and management.

You have successfully completed your public offering, laid out a solid investor relations strategy, and successfully managed through your first year as a public company. As you enter your second year and once again map out your investor relations and communication strategy, it is important to make sure that plan evolves with you.

While many of the same components of the strategy should remain – a comprehensive buy-side targeting approach, conference and NDRS plans, etc. – there are a number of changes that you must begin to implement to ensure the strategy adapts to your company’s current circumstances.

We are regularly asked to characterize the market backdrop for potential life sciences IPOs. While biotech ETF performance can offer a glimpse at current conditions, we dug deeper and analyzed recent biopharma index strength, IPO activity and follow-on offerings, among other metrics.

Our analysis indicates the market remains strong, albeit with some signs of moderation.

An initial public offering marks an important milestone in a company’s journey — a positive one, assuming the process is meticulously designed and implemented. Errors in planning and communication, however, can turn a vital Wall Street debut into a credibility-damaging flop.

Establishing credibility in the investor community is key to your company’s success. Delivering a simple story, consistent metrics, and financial transparency are all ways to build relationships with your company’s stakeholders. But even one minor mistake can put a chip in your reputation. What are the credibility busters you should avoid that could negatively shape investor perception? Here are the top 10 things you should work hard to avoid.

The newly implemented MiFID II regulation, aimed at improving fairness and transparency in financial markets, may bring about important changes in the way many publicly traded companies in the United States introduce themselves to desirable investors.

In a post-MiFID II environment, it is imperative that management teams of public healthcare companies take a proactive approach to shareholder targeting and their corporate-access strategy.

Who doesn’t want new analyst coverage for their stock? As new coverage is generated, your stock becomes more visible, which, in turn, can potentially create more demand. When strategizing on which analysts make the most sense to cover your stock, there are several factors to consider. First and foremost, the main thing you should keep in mind is that getting the analysts you want to follow your stock is usually challenging and can typically take time, so set your expectations about new analyst coverage accordingly.

Completing a successful IPO is a major milestone in the life of a company. Deciding to embark on the journey to public markets is an exciting time, but it’s essential to ensure that your company is ready. Once the process kicks off, there’s no time to go back and complete important tasks — like meeting with institutional investors and finalizing your company message — that should have been done prior to your organizational meeting. This is when you’ll discuss your offering process with management, counsel, and other advisors.

A false start can significantly damage your company’s credibility on the Street. So how do you know if your company is ready? We’ve compiled a list of six key questions to consider that will help you evaluate whether your company is ready for an IPO.

Financial news travels instantly, and investors must process its market impact and take action at a similar pace. To help investors analyze new information and make key investment decisions, they look to the IR portion of your website — often a microsite available from your corporate website. An easy-to-use IR website must contain readily available information including up-to-date financials, a recent corporate presentation deck, event listings with access to replays, stock information, and news releases. How do you know if your IR site is any good? Here are five must-haves.